New Tamaran: Justice Returns
by SaberlordOboeshoes
Summary: After ascending to godhood, Raven goes to aid the Justice League in their war against Darkseid. She is easily victorious, but the League has suffered great casualties. They all return to Earth, and heroes and former sidekicks reconcile on how much things have changed. NOTE: This is a sequel to my previous stories: A Brief History of Superheroics by Lois Lane New Tamaran
1. Chapter 1

After years of fighting across the galaxy, it was finally all coming to an end on the surface of Apokolips.

The Red, Orange, and Yellow Lantern Corps defended the dictatorial alien planet against the invading Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, Zatanna and Aquaman combined their magic to encompass the remaining League members in all the water from a planet that Darkseid had eradicated all life from.

This giant mass of water splashed onto the surface of Apokolips, immediately wiping out a good percentage of its remaining army of parademons, but the strain that the immense magic took on their bodies cost the lives of Aquaman and Zatanna. During the massive splash, Orion, Mister Miracle and Big Barda led the surviving Justice League Members (Superman, Flash, the Atom, Aquaman, Zatanna, and Wonder Woman – Hal Jordan was busy leading the onslaught above) through secret tunnels towards Darkseid's palace.

/

Kalibak and Grayven walked down the halls of their father's mansion, ready to confront the invaders at the last stand of the New Gods. Grayven ordered his men to stop upon hearing a strange noise down the right corridor. They turned to see a young, green-skinned humanoid boy with pointy ears, listening to an iPod and happily humming to the music.

"Who the hell are you?" shouted Kalibak. The young green one didn't answer. Instead, he held up his hand with his pointer finger extending upwards, although he was telling him to shut up while the favorite part of his song came up.

Kalibak motioned for three of his soldiers to apprehend the green boy, but when they approached him, he vanished. While looking around in bewilderment, none of them noticed the tiny, green fly buzzing around them. This fly landed on each of their necks and bit them, causing them to immediately go into violent convulsions and collapse dead on the floor. Then the fly flew into the air just behind Grayven and transformed into a mastodon and crushed ten lines of troops behind him. Then he turned back into his human form, and happily did a dorky dance atop his kills.

"OK, now that was fun! In fact, I just realized I could have won a lot more fights like that. Guess I'll always be a slow learner!"

"Hey!" shouted Grayven. "Just who the HELL are you?"

"Oh, right, sorry! I'm Beast Bo-… well, technically I'm not a boy anymore. My girlfriend thinks I should go by Menagerie, but I think Changeling has a better ring to it."

"Well, Changeling, you are an enemy of Apokolips. Surrender or face death!"

"I'm gonna go ahead and say 'no' to both, dude!"

"Fool! I have hundreds of the galaxy's greatest soldiers behind me!"

"Is a hundred a big number? I'm sorry, math was my worst subject."

"Do you even have the slightest idea who you're dealing with?"

"No, but neither do you!"

Changeling then changed into multiple animals - some physical, some mythical, some alien – with each change being more rapid than the one before, until he seemed to making a dozen transformations in a second. Then he resorted back to his human form and wore a mocking smile.

"You see, I'm a shapeshifter. I can transform into any animal, from both zoos and fairy tales, and from any planet. So, you're not just up against one enemy – you're up against BILLIONS! And you have no idea which one is gonna come next!"

/

Orion, Big Barda, and Mister Miracle all laid unconscious at the doors of the palace.

As The Flash and The Atom dedicating themselves to evading Darkseid's omega beams, Superman found himself locked in a battle with Steppenwolf. In the city below them, Wonder Woman clashed with Lashina, and both warrior-women pushed themselves towards true godhood as their bodies strained for victory.

As Steppenwolf screamed while charging with his spear at full thrust, Superman fired out lasers from his eyes at their full power, killing his enemy. It wasn't the first life he had taken, and it wasn't going to be the last for today. After Superman brought his eyes down to normal, he was struck to the ground.

He then felt his chest being stomped on, and he looked up to see Darkseid grinning in defeat, holding a captured Flash and Atom in either hand.

"Such lovely specimens. I'm sure you're all do fine work in the mines."

"You won't win, Darkseid!" retorted the Boy Scout. "Freedom always wins!"

"Oh, foolish Kryptonian, freedom did win! You successfully defeated the empire of fear that I had spent centuries crafting, and replaced it with, oh, what are those words you like … oh, right! Truth, justice, and something else. But that wasn't enough. You just had to invade my home as well!"

"It's the only way … to liberate those under your rule."

"And the next time I leave my home to expand my rule, there will be no-one to liberate anyone! No Lantern Corps, no Justice League, and no Superman! This universe will finally be cleansed of all blasphemy and bow down at the one true god!"

Darkseid flared up his eyes with intent to kill, but then was struck backward by a massive blast of white magical energy. He dropped his captives and landed in the wall of his palace, his body embedding itself into it as cracks formed all around.

"You, a god? If I want a bad joke, I'll just ask my boyfriend to talk."

Darkseid looked up too see a shining feminine figure, dressed in a cloak and hooded garments of pure white divinity. Her arms were outstretched, her pale legs were exposed, and she wore a belt of large, round red jewels around her waist.

"And just who might you … wait, I sense something familiar in you."

"Ah yes, you must be thinking of the Anti-Life Equation."

"Wait, then, have you finally come to me?"

"Not at all. Do you remember Blackfire?"

"I do well. One of the fiercest Red Lanterns, proved herself worthy of being a Fury by destroying her home planet. She demanded I send her to Earth …"

"... to find me. You told her to make me a weapon and deliver me to you, but she was planning on taking your place. It's too bad for you that she failed. In fact, her actions only turned me into what I am now – the exact opposite of what you seek, and everything you claim to be."

Darkseid fired omega beams at her, but she caught them with one hand and painfully pulled them out of his eyes. As he realized he could no longer use his deadliest ability, Raven bumbled up his precious omega beams into a ball and transformed them into a variety of red hair accessories.

"You call yourself a god? My father was a real god. Conquered his universe, then my mother's, and then tried this one. He could destroy an entire planet just by setting foot on it. But thanks to my friends, I got over my fear of him, and destroyed him. And that was BEFORE I became this!"

For the first time in his life, Darkseid wore a face of fear. The true goddess brought her hands close together, and a ball of black lightning formed between them.

"You want power? You want fear? I'll show you both. Azarath..."

Darkseid pleaded for mercy.

"... Metrion …"

Darkseid pleaded even faster.

"... Zinthos!"

Raven fired her magic at the tyrant, dragging his mind into the deepest pits of hell. She controlled him like a puppet, forcing him to get on his hands and knees and bow before her.

"Down with Apokolips!" he was forced to chant. "Long live freedom!"

"Your mind has been forced to say that which you do not believe. Your body has been forced into pain and humiliation. This is what you have brought upon the trillions under your rule. And yet knowing this brings you no change of heart. It's sad, but not at all surprising."

Raven forced the False God to look up at her.

"You sent Blackfire to do horrible things, first to Tamaran and then to Earth. Everything she did, you did. But I'm not here to get revenge. I'm here because you still threaten my home and my friends. I'd rather not resort to violence, but sometimes good people need to destroy what they hate to protect what they love."

Then Raven snapped both her fingers. Her magic stopped, and Darkseid fell to the ground, dead beneath her feet.

Raven then floated to the bodies of Orion, Big Barda and Mister Miracle. She quickly revived them and healed all of their wounds.

"What's going on?" asked Orion.

"Don't worry. Your father is dead. Apokolips is liberated. Rule over your people wisely."

There was an explosion from the city below, and Raven was reminded of the final fight on the planet. She quickly teleported to behind Lashina and snapped her fingers once again. The last warrior of Apokolips immediately turned into a lifeless husk, and Wonder Woman caught her opponent before she hit the ground.

"I'm sorry," apologized Raven, "but she couldn't be saved. A painless death is what was best for her."

Wonder Woman noticed that something was different about her, as her body was now beginning to to turn into a bright purple light. "What's happening to me?"

"You pushed yourself so far that your divine side has completely taken over your human side," Raven explained. "You're a goddess now; not like me, but like your mother Athena."

/

As Orion rounded up the survivors of Apokolips and declared how he would be taking his father's place. Raven and Wonder Woman healed the wounds of Superman, Flash and Atom, while Hal Jordan flew down to declare victory over the evil Lantern Corps.

"Doesn't Darkseid have two more sons?" asked Atom.

"Don't worry," assured Raven. "By now, my boyfriend's taken care of them."

Sure enough, he had, and Beast Boy- sorry, I mean Changeling - was celebrating his victory by putting on a puppet show for himself using helmets of the fallen.

"Yes, well, thank you for your help, no, for taking charge in defeating the ultimate … I'm sorry," said Superman, "I'm just too winded to say anything that isn't cheesy. Would you settle for a thumbs up?"

Raven smiled down at him. "Sure."

Still lying on the ground, Superman smiled back and gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks, kid! Wait, sorry, I don't think I've caught your name yet."

"Yeah, are you the new Spectre?" asked Wonder Woman. "Because I defeated the old one, and you're a lot like him."

"Well, I actually was the new Spectre, but I had to kick him out of my body because he wanted vengeance instead of justice. My name is Raven. My boyfriend and I were with the Teen Titans."

"The Teen Titans?"

"Yes. It was a group that Robin started in Jump City, but then spread to include other young heroes around the Earth."

"I take it my daughter is a member?" asked Wonder Woman.

"And Karen?" asked The Atom.

"And Wally?" asked The Flash.

"And Kara?" asked Superman. "I know Kara has made a great Champion of Earth!"

Raven's smile turned to a frown, and she sighed. "Let's go back. There's a lot you need to hear."


	2. Chapter 2

The Royal Palace of New Tamaran (Earth's Moon)

Nightwing, formerly known as Robin, peacefully slept in the nude on his double -king-size mattress. No sheets, no blankets, just a mattress. On his right side, also in the nude, was the true love of his life and mother of his child – Starfire, Grand Ruler of New Tamaran, and newest member of the Violet Lanterns. On the desk beside her laid her three greatest physical possessions – her royal crown, her lantern ring, and the crystallized finger that was the last remains of her precious sister.

On Nightwing's left side, also in the nude, lay Barbara Gordon, the surrogate mother and "k'norfka" of his child. While the birthing experience had left a c-section scar across her belly, the pregnancy had cured her spine, enabling her to walk again. Her relationship with the royal couple was still complicated, and her presence in bed was more about lust than love, but she still had lots of love. On the desk beside her lay all her valued technology tools, and beside the desk was the wheelchair she had spent her years in as Oracle.

Nightwing had his arms wrapped around the shoulders of each of his redhead loves, who in turn rested their hands on his chest, and their legs were all tangled together. His peaceful slumber was disturbed when he gently felt his mind being forced awake. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Raven standing in front of him, but with her back towards him.

"Back so soon?" he asked through their mind-link.

"Not soon enough, considering your spouse number has doubled."

"Oh, Barbara isn't married to us. She just likes playing with her friends."

"And I take it you won't be needing that 'love dimension' I made for you anymore?"

"No, I think we got it under control."

"The legs of your bed look like they were torn off, and the mattress has lost half its stuffing. That might suggest otherwise."

"Hey, it's nothing Star's new ring can't … hey, are you jealous?"

"What? No."

"Yes, I can sense it! You wish you were in this bed!"

"NO! No, no, no …" Raven blushed and then regained her composure. "Look, there's a few things you should know, so please get dressed and meet me outside."

After Raven phased through the wall, Nightwing slowly got off his bed so as to not wake his two loves. After getting on his blue bathrobe, he stepped outside the royal bedrrom and froze n shock.

His daughter Mary (technically Mar'i-Korand, which translates to "Nightstar"), was fast asleep in her crib, hugging onto her pet larva, Silkie 2. Admiring her the remaining members of the Justice League.

"Congratulations, kid" said Superman with a smile.

Nightwing quickly rushed towards the Boy Scout, and both embraced each other while shedding manly tears. He then did likewise with Diana, whom he happily commented on her faintly glowing purple skin. After sharing similar hugs with Barry and Ray, he sighed as his smile went away.

"So, everyone else is gone."

"Unfortunately. They gave their lives …"

Nigthwing then quickly looked over his shoulder, expecting to see his old mentor hiding in the shadows. He turned his head back and sighed again.

"So, Bruce is gone too."

"Yes", confirmed Superman. "He died doing what he loved."

"Being a hero, or being a stubborn jackass?"

"Both."

They embraced once again, with Nightwing crying genuine tears of sorrow. This was rudely interrupted by the sound of a soda can opening, and everyone turned to glare at Changeling in the kitchen.

He awkwardly stared back. "Just pretend I'm invisible!" he advised.

Raven just rolled her eyes. "Robin, you have a strong emotional connection to these people. You're the best one to explain what's happened while they've been gone."

/

"Roy, great news! We got wedding invitations back from Argent and Bushido so … Roy, what's wrong? You don't look well at all."

Roy Harper, the Honorary Titan known as Speedy, set down his bow and collapsed into his favorite chair not changing his stunned expression. Mas and Menos both brought him random things (burgers, energy drinks, video game controllers) to cheer him up, but his only response was for them to go play outside. They obeyed.

"I got a call from the Steel City adoption agency, Donna," he explained. "It seems that a few months ago, a baby girl was dropped off at a daycare and her mom never came back … and I'm the father."

Donna slowly sat down on the chair next to him and clasped onto his hand. "What? How is that possible? You've only ever had sex with me and Kara. The Lasso of Truth doesn't lie."

"And neither does DNA."

"Well, then, who is the mother?"

"Cheshire."

"Cheshire? The crazy bitch who tried to kill Barbara?"

"Yes. And before that, she was with the Brotherhood of Evil. She stabbed me and I blacked out, and when I woke up, I was frozen."

"So, the only interaction between the two of you, she knocked you out?"

"Yes, with poison from her claws."

Then Donna remembered a warning from her father not to accept drinks from men in bars, and her eyes widened in horror. "Roy … were you raped?"

"I guess so. I mean, she and Blackfire took turns in doing that to Red X."

Donna clenched his hand even harder and held back tears of anger. "Roy ... I ... I … I'm sorry, I don't know what to say!"

Roy leaned over and placed his hand on her shoulder, kissing her on the cheek as she softly cried. "Don't worry babe. I don't know how to feel. I just know that there's a child carrying my genes, and nobody will take her because her mom is a psycho?"

"Well, what if I was her mom?"

"You'd be OK with that?"

"Of course! There is no greater honor for an Amazon than to create, nurture and raise up a new life!"

"Even if that life was made from a psycho?"

"Of course. It's the blood you inherit, but the heart that matters, and we'll make sure that she inherits the heart from both of us!"

Roy finally smiled. "Thanks, Donna. And besides, we could use some practice before our own kid comes along."

"Yeah, about that..." Donna began twiddling her fingers nervously. "There's something you need to know about the baby I'm carrying."

"It's OK, Donna. I know I'm not the daddy."

Donna looked up in shock. "How'd you know?"

"You and Kara had a lot of playmates! I figured my odds weren't likely."

"OK, well, the real daddy is, um … is Robin."


	3. Chapter 3

Steve Trevor was sound asleep when he woke up to an old-fashioned doorbell. He found it odd that anyone would be know his location, let alone be to any place that remote. So, keeping his guard up, he grabbed his handgun and slowly made his way to the front door of the lighthouse, becoming warier with each new doorbell ring.

He reached the door and peeped through the keyhole, seeing no-one. Nervous but confident, he quickly opened the door and pointed his gun outward, but saw and heard nobody. Then he was assaulted from behind, his assailant grabbing by the neck and under his shoulder, forcing him to drop his gun. Trevor fought back, and seconds later, he was tied up with a rope and lying on the ground, staring up at the face of an angel.

"Diana?"

"Hello, Steve!"

The two embraced in the tender kiss they had waited for years to share. After crying and laughing together, Diana pushed herself up and looked down at her man.

"Oh Steve, I have so much to tell you!"

"Well, angel, could you start with you're now purple and glowing?"

"Oh, that can wait. How've you been doing as President? Oh, and did Donna find someone?"

"Well, actually..."

"Steve? Is someone there?" came a foxy, female voice from the next room.

Diana looked towards the direction of the voice very suspiciously. "Yes, Steve, is someone else here?"

"Um, well, Angel, you see, after you left, Black Adam was found to be breaking human rights violations to the people of Khandaq. Since he was put up by the US government, I felt it was my duty to deal with him, but since our army was lacking in magic users, I asked Mera for back up. Black Adam challenged us to fight his best men, we beat them, then we beat him, split Khandaq between Egypt and Israel, but she took me back to Atlantis to heal me, and then we …"

Steve then realized he had been tied with the Lasso of Truth. Diana's eyes began to glow a bright blue as she stood up and stared at the other woman. "And then what, Mera?"

The fiery queen stood in the doorway to the bedroom, dressed in only a green bathrobe and a panicked look on her face. She held out her hands as Diana began to float toward her, her skin and eyes glowing even brighter.

"Diana, please, it's not what it looks like?"

"So, you're not trying to steal the sacred bond my husband and I share?"

"No, please, listen! After Khandaq, we … we fell in love! Steve still loves you, but we love each toher too!"

"And what of it? Were you hoping I would die so..."

"Of course not! We kept in secret so that when you came back, we could stop! Please, Diana, I would never want to hurt you or..."

Then Diana suddenly laughed again, and the glows from her bodied simmered. Then she landed in front of Mera and embraced her in an affectionate.

"Oh, Mera, you silly water-fox! Do you really think I could ever hate you? I asked you to look after Steve, and you've done exactly that!"

"But, I was supposed to wait five years."

"Can a girl really wait that long? Zatanna, Vixen, and Huntress were all bed-hopping after the first day in space! Granted, my bed was a favorite among them."

"Oh."

"And besides, Orin and I quickly fell for each other way out there."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yes, I did. But when he wasn't around, I made do with Barry, and Ray, and Hal, and Carol, and Ollie, and Dinah, and Shayera, and Carter, and Jefferson, and Darrel, and Martha, and Raymond, and John, and Alan, and Adam..."

"So, no Bruce or Clark?" asked Steve rather sarcastically.

"Nope. They wanted to, but they didn't want the thoughts of them to come between us."

"But the thoughts of all the others are OK?"

"Oh, don't worry, darling," Diana responded, releasing him from her lasso. "Warriors in bed may share bodies and maybe even hearts, but we share souls. And besides, you're way better than any of them!"

"Uh, thanks, angel!"

Mera tightened her robe and began heading for the back door. "Well, I'm sure you two have a lot to catching up to do, so I'll just spend some time outside."

"Mera, wait. Orin left you this." Mera turned around to see Diana holding her late husband's golden trident. Mera slowly approached her beloved's weapon and took it, staring and the lock of her hair that was still tied around the shaft.

"Thanks, Diana. I'll … be on my way then."

Mera left the lighthouse and wandered to a nearby cliff overlooking the ocean that led to her home. When she was at the edge, she got on her knees and stared at the keepsake in her hands. By the time the sun had moved to the other end of the sky, there was a small pool of tears in the robe between her thighs, and her hands were shaking with grief.

She started to calm down when she felt Diana's gentle hand on her shoulder. With the trident still in her right hand, she turned around and embraced her fellow warrior, and cried into her chest.

/

Commissioner Slack sat down at his desk, going over the marriage and name-change paperwork for the two young adults sitting in front of him.

"So, Mr. Todd and Miss Markov, you wish that's change your last names, correct?"

"Yes," replied Jason.

"And why, might I ask?"

"Because it will allow us to find honest work."

"Ah, yes, those pesky businesses doing background checks on potential employees. I can't imagine why anyone would want to hire someone who stole a radioactive super-suit."

"He's not a bad person!" protested the blonde. "He never hurt anyone! Well, badly, anyway."

"Well, can be said for you, rock girl?"

Terra sighed. "No."

"She was young and empty," protested Jason. "It's what let Slade take advantage of her."

"So, she's not responsible for what she did?"

"No, I complete am. And Jason may have been greedy, but he tried to stop Control Freak and got punished for it. We've learned our lessons, and we're not asking that our crimes be erased. We just want a chance to prove that we are good."

"Well, there's no point in convincing me," argued Slack. "I'm already convinced. "The Titans have all vouched for you, as has Mr. Holt and your college counselors. I have full faith that the two of you will be able to join society as normal, productive citizens."

They both smiled and said in unison, "Thank you so much, sir!"

"Now, before we head down to the Justice of the Peace, what name of you chosen on?"

"Sandmark."


	4. Chapter 4

"Alarm goes off in an abandoned building. Am I the only one who sees that as just a little peculiar?"

Jinx used her magic to reboot the lights while Kid Flash looked around the rotting factory for the intruder. Cyborg had his radar up and running when he detected a life source at the other end of the building. Kid Flash zapped towards the signal, but it moved away at a quick speed, almost as though it was teleporting. Cyborg kept giving directions on following, but never seeming to catch up.

"Dammit! This guy's just as fast as you! Nobody else is that fast!"

"Wait..." Jinx suddenly had an epiphany. "Barry? Barry Allen?"

The speedster stopped right in front of her, and greeted her by tipping his imaginary hat.

"Why, yes, it is, young lady!"

A second later, Barry was pummeled from the side at the speed of sound and made an impact crater on a nearby wall, embraced by Kid Flash in a fit of joy.

"It's great to see you too, Wally!"

Then an alarm on Cyborg's radar went off, and he was alerted to a presence just above him. He looked up and was quickly assaulted by a misshapen, rubbish-filled projectile that knocked him off his feet.

"Time for STINKBALL!" shouted Beast Boy from above.

Cyborg pulled the stinkball and looked up at his best friend with a grin. "Oh, you don't know how long I've waited for this!"

Cyborg opened up compartments in his arms to reveal a stench-ridden supply of stinkballs, and began firing them at Beast Boy in a playful manner. They childishly played their game until they ended with a hug in the middle of the building.

"So, Beast Boy, what's it finally like being a man!"

"Well, I'm still a few months away from voting age, so …"

"No, I mean … how's the nookie?"

"Oh, that! Well, let's just say I've become a whole other animal!"

"Really? With Raven being a goddess now, I thought you'd have to work extra hard!"

"Oh, I do. But she gives me extra energy for it. And when she finally got tired, we decided to take a break and helped the League win against Darkseid."

"Wait, so the galactic war's over? Thank to you?"

"Well, thanks to Raven. She totally kicked Darseid's ass! I just took care of his kids and put on a puppet show with their helmets. Wanna watch it? I caught it on my phone."

"Uh, maybe some other time."

"Well, then, how are things with you?"

"Oh, going good. Working side-by-side with my dad now."

"How about you and Bumblebee?"

"Nah. Things just didn't work out."

"Well, anyone else?"

"Well, there is Barbara."

"Barbara Gordon? Oracle? I just saw her on New Tamaran, and she seems pretty cozy with Robin and Starfire."

"Well, she told me that's one of the benefits of being a k'norfka. She's not even bi?"

"Really?"

"Yup, said she likes being a brain by day and a toy by night. So, I got to thinking I might impress her with a toy of my own."

Cyborg then showed off a hologram of his newest invention.

"Dude … I've got to try morphing into that shape!"

Elsewhere, Barry had just wrapped up his intergalactic adventure tales with Wally and Jinx.

"Well, that's what I've been up to. How about Wally? Seems like you finally managed to find your soulmate."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," stammered Jinx while blushing. "We're kind of going steady right now."

"I see," replied Barry. "Oh look, I wonder what this that I found dropped on the ground?" He then pulled out a ring case that Wally was shocked at the sight of.

"Oops, my fingers slipped!" Barry casually threw it to the ground by Jinx's feet. Wally rushed down to grab it, and doing so, accidentally opened it to reveal a diamond. Bended on one knee, he looked up at a shocked, speechless Jinx. Then the wall with the impact crater mysteriously fell over, exposing the sunset.

"Oh, would you look at that? A quasi-romantic backdrop? How did that happen?"

/

SUPERGIRL

DAUGHTER OF KRYPTON

CHAMPION OF EARTH

HERO OF ALL

Superman stood at the base of his cousin's memorial, gazing up at the statue that had been perfectly crafted in her likeness. Even at night, one could still appreciate the sculptor for capturing her youthfulness and bright optimism. Surrounding the memorial were all kinds of dedications – flowers, wreaths, fan letters – but Clark had none to give.

"So, it is true."

"Kara died a hero," explained Raven from behind. "She fell right into Luthor's trap, but she still saved as many as she could. She was a great friend to us all, and showed love to everyone even when they showed malice. She lived showing everyone how to live by your ideals, and she was killed for it – but the example she gave lives on in everyone."

Truly heartfelt, but Raven could tell it meant nothing. There was only one thing on Clark's mind, and it went completely the example he had set across the galaxy.

"Clark, if it makes you feel better, I can take you to Lex..."

"No! I don't want to even know where he is! I don't know what I'd do, I don't want to know what I'd do, I just …"

Superman finally fell to his knees, placed his right hand on the memorial and buried his left hand in his face, weeping softly for his beloved cousin. When the tears had stopped, he heard a voice he had been longing to hear come from nearby.

"Clark?"

He quickly looked over his right shoulder and saw three figures holding massive bouquets.

The first was Perry. The second was Jimmy. And the third … was Lois.

Before the bouquets fell to the ground, Clark had embraced them all.

And he smiled. As did Raven from underneath her hood.


	5. Chapter 5

"OK, let me see if I got this straight." Roy Harper inhaled as he rehearsed all the raunchy details her fiancée had just spilled about her first time.

"An Amazon has to climax to unlock her powers, and when Kara couldn't help, your parents sent you on a mission with Robin in a cave so he could help. You were just about to get started when you both got swallowed by a giant snake, and you did it inside the beast's stomach. While coming, you tore apart the beast from the inside, while his protection overflowed and burst open. Have I got it so far?"

Donna Troy nodded. "Best night of my life!"

"The best night of your life was inside a monster's stomach, surrounded by complete darkness, as acid ate away at your skin?"

"Oh, yes! Robin wasn't called the Boy Wonder for nothing!"

"OK, well, his 'boy wonder' got you pregnant. Not wanting to make your life even more difficult, your mom had Zatanna put your unborn child into a time stasis, which she would undo when you were ready to raise the child."

"Yes, that's correct. Kara and I were planning on marrying, but then I realized that if the child is a boy, he would need a father figure in his life. But such a man couldn't be a hero; he had to have a safe, mundane life and time to spend with his child. So, I got myself a secret identity as a fashion photographer and joined dating circles. Then miraculously, I wound up with you, and now only you."

"It's too bad, really. Kara would've made a great mom."

"And you'd make a great dad, but are you OK with me having Robin's baby?"

"Well, the fact that Robin did a better job of pleasuring you than me is a bit annoying. But while he may have helped make the kid, that doesn't make him the daddy. That kid's growing inside you, so you should decide who the daddy will be, or the other mommy, or whatever. So, if you want m to be the daddy, then I'll be the best daddy I can be!"

Donna happily hugged Roy and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks, and I promise I'll be the best mommy to your baby girl!"

"Does Robin know?"

"Uh-uh, and he never has to."

"Well, now that we've sorted that out, we should probably get going or else we'll be late."

/

The Nautiloid was a high-class Atlantean restaurant, set up about 20 miles out to sea and 20 miles below sea from Steel City. Serving the finest in Atlantean cuisine, it served as a meeting place between human businessmen and Atlantean traders.

"It'd be interesting if there was a Tamaranean version of this," Roy commented.

"Yes, but that won't happen anytime soon for a variety of reasons," replied Donna.

The young couple was escorted to a prestigious first-class private dining room, where they met the couple who had invited them – Aqualad and Bumblebee.

"Great to see you again, Garth!" Roy said as he shook his old friend's hand. "Steel City just isn't the same since the two of you left."

"You two seem to be doing a great job with it. How's the wedding planning?"

"Oh, more to do every day, so pretty relaxing!"

"Well, it can't be as bad as royal training. My mom's been stepping up my studies recently."

"And what about you, Karen?" asked Donna. "Announced a date for the wedding yet?"

"We were figuring about a month or so after yours. Hard to believe it's coming so soon!"

"I find it hard to believe you two actually fell for each other."

"Well, it's more to do with falling in love with Atlantean science," commented Garth.

"Oh, definitely!" affirmed Karen. "There is so much here to learn and explore. In fact, I've just started working on an improved Bumblebee suit with some major upgrades!"

"You must really love Atlantis, then," responded Donna. "I've been there a few times, but never bothered with the science. I did love the culture, though – the art, the music, and of course the food, which we should start eating before it gets cold."

After catching up while having dinner, Donna finally asked the question that had been bothering her.

"Do we really need to be eating separate? Wouldn't it be best for us to eat out there with the common people?"

"Well, first of all, those are some of the richest people both above the waves and underneath it, so they're hardly common," explained Garth. "Second, we brought you down here because there is a matter that we must discuss in private."

"Really? What?"

"Well, we can begin by turning our attention to the empty chair at the other end of the table, where the silverware is cutting up the shark liver on its own."

Donna and Roy paused in shock, then both turned to see an empty chair where shark liver was indeed being cut up by silverware on its own, but only one object was capable of moving at a time. Roy had seen this behavior before as an April Fools prank in the Hall of Justice.

"Ray?"

Sure enough, the Atom himself (whom Bumblebee had previously been a sidekick to) then appeared before all of them. "Hey, Roy. I think you've grown a bit."

An hour later, the Atom had shared his story of waging the intergalactic war. He ended just before the invasion of Apokolips, in which he explained the demise of Green Arrow and Black Canary.

Roy stared at his food in distraught, but looked up again as Ray presented him with his mentor's bow and quiver. He accepted them, but kept staring at them. A bit later, Garth's hand was resting on his arm.

"I'm here for you, dude. Before I came here, I had to set up my father's trident in the royal relic room."

Roy has about to respond, but then noticed his fiancée had started crying.

"Donna, it's going to be OK."

"No, it's not. My mom's gone, isn't she? That's why she isn't here, because she's gone!"

Then a new figure appeared next to her.

"No, sweetie, I'm right here!"


	6. Chapter 6

Coffins for all the fallen members of the Justice League were lined up in front of Hall of Justice. Behind them, Superman stood up on a podium to deliver a eulogy for all of them.

"We have returned victorious over the greatest evil in the universe, but this is no time for rejoicing. Yes, we won the war, but at what cost? Friends, family, sanity … but not our convictions, or the paths they lead us down.

"I left to fight an enemy that threatened my home, and came back to find the same type of hatred I was fighting against had made its way here. It took the life of my precious cousin, and now I am the last of my kind. But even know, I don't regret leaving.

"To save this world, to save all worlds, from fear and hate and tyranny, it was worth all that we lost – all the lives, all the blood, all the scars. The fallen before me, they all knew this, and accepted it, as did my beloved cousin. But while she may have been the last daughter of Krypton, we can keep her alive, we can keep all of them alive – by being who they inspired us to be.

"To remember that the strong should help the weak, to use violence only as a last resort, and to show compassion to all living things even when the ones who don't deserve it.

"If we truly want to honor these ideals, then please, don't use our victorious loss as an excuse to celebrate. No fireworks, no parades, no mandated holidays. Honor the fallen by remembering their stories, and following the example, they set."

As the caskets were loaded up for transport, Superman met with the younger heroes who had arisen in his absence – the Teen Titans, the Honorary Titans, and the newest trio of heroes calling themselves the Marvel Family. The youngsters all spoke highly of the deceased Supergirl, praising her for the kind, sweet, uplifting spirit that was so natural about her, making her a great hero and an even better friend (while being careful not to mention that her friendship often included … benefits). Clark thanked them all for their compliments, and congratulated them on the work they had done so far.

Finally, Superman met with Queen Starfire, who got down on a knee and bowed in humility, apologizing for the loss of Kara. Clark responded with a friendly hug, assuring that there was no bad blood between him and her people.

The caskets of the fallen Justice League members were all taken to their home cities, where they each given their own memorial service. Garth and Mera personally took Aquman's coffin to Atlantis (with Bumblebee close behind), while Speedy and Wonder Girl took the coffins of Green Arrow and Black Canary to Star City.

Batman's remains were taken to Gotham City by Nightwing and Superman. A mausoleum was being constructed in the city's police cemetery, so it was not yet open to the public. But attending there were the most important people from Bruce Wayne's life.

First, of course, there was Alfred, and with him was Selina Kyle and her infant twin children – Tim and Stephanie, heirs to the Wayne estate.

"So, Selina," said Nightwing rather uneasily, "I hear that you're a high-class call girl now."

"True. I got sick of Bruce saying that the law was keeping us apart, so I followed him back to Wayne Manor and offered to give up my thieving ways to be his wife. He refused, so I blackmailed my way into his favorite brothel and, well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

Nightwing turned to Alfred. "So, you're cool with this?"

"At first, I thought the Wayne family continuing its line through a harlot was rather unorthodox. But Miss Kyle has proven herself to be a fine mother, and has already started making vast improvements to the broken education and healthcare systems of Gotham."

"And what of the Batcave?"

"Don't worry; it's safe and sound."

Barbara Gordon had also made it, wearing Earth clothes for the first time in several months. She had also escorted her father, whom she had not seen in years. Superman had heard that Commissioner Gordon had started implementing the death penalty in Gotham, which he was disappointed to hear.

"So, Commissioner, I hear that taking a life is how Gotham defines justice now."

"Well, I was firmly against it," the Commissioner explained, "but that was before the clown hurt my little girl. I wanted to make sure that no father would ever have to feel that way, and I made my case at the trial of Victor Szasz. I enjoyed sticking the needle into his arm."

"Anyone else?"

"Just Two-Face and Bane, since they were too dangerous to keep behind bars. For the others, we removed all funding for psychiatric treatments in Arkham and replaced it with stronger security. And we've had crime rates go on a steady decline ever since."

"So, how come the clown never got it?" asked Barbara sternly. The Commissioner looked up at the hurt stares from his daughter and the Boy Scout, knowing that the clown's last act of psychotic cruelty had led to Kara's death.

"His date kept getting pushed back as a reward for good behavior," James answered rather bluntly. "The new warden was a little soft."

Finally, the last one to show was also the most surprising – Edward Nygma, the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Despite living up to his promises of being reformed, everyone was still rightfully suspicious of the psychopath, and he was well aware of it.

"Riddle me this – why would I resort to criminal activity when I already have more wealth and power than I could ever ask for? And besides, it only makes sense that I would honor the legacy of one of only four other people whose intellect rivalled my own."

With all the pole bearers gathered, the priest gave a quick sermon before the coffin was finally laid to rest and covered up. Before leaving, Superman gave Nightwing a device for him and Barbara to listen to.

Once they had returned to their palace in New Tamaran, they sat down on their bed and switched on the device. From it projected a hologram of their deceased mentor.


	7. Chapter 7

Nightwing and Barbara set on their royal mattress in the palace of New Tamaran and turned on the alien device that Superman had given them. From it projected a hologram of their old mentor.

"Hello, Robin. Hello, Barbara. If you're watching this, it means that I wasn't able to return. I don't have much time, so let me get to the one thing I want to say to the both of you – I'm sorry.

"Robin, when I took you in, you had gone through the same grief that sent me down the path I took through life. A path of never-ending loss of blood, sweat, and tears, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't also a path of loneliness. When I saw your family perform that day, I thought I had been doing a good job of making a world where no child would be made an orphan, but I was instantly proven wrong. I know you always thought that I took you in because I could relate to your pain, but that was only half of it. I took you in because I didn't want you to go down the path I took. I wanted to help you do what I never could – to move past the pain and lead a normal life.

"But you were too smart for me. You found the Batcave, and begged me to fight by your side. You found that the life of a young hero was not as glorious as it was, but you didn't care. You kept pushing yourself to be stronger, to be faster, to be smarter – to be more like me. But there was one part of me you never liked – my manipulative side. So, I pushed that up to its extreme: pitting criminals against one another, controlling your schedule down to every second of the day, putting enhancement drugs in your food..."

"Wait, he did what?" asked a stunned Barbara.

"Yeah, he put some experimental nth-metal powder in my orange juice for breakfast that would enhance the strength of my muscles and bones while accelerating my coagulation rate. I guess he did it to make it harder for the hero life to kill me."

"Actually, I did it so you could make love to Kara without her breaking half your skeleton again."

Dick and Babs both starred at the hologram in shock.

"Yes, it only lasted four-five months, but you still made a cute couple.

"Anyways, I made myself a broken pedestal in your eyes to drive you away. And it worked. You left Gotham, found a new city to make a name for yourself, and even got yourself a team that consisted of a cyborg and beast boy whom I may have encouraged to go there too."

Nightwing's eyes widened even more.

"You found yourself a team of friends that smoothened out the rough edges I had given to you. You became the leader that new heroes need to look up to. But most of all, you proved that you were better than me when you found the two things I never could – true love, and a happy ever after.

"And then … he took it all from you."

There was a pause as they all knew what he was referring to – Joker's attack on Robin and Starfire's wedding.

"It's bad enough what he did to you, Barbara. You were special, and not because you're the smartest woman on Earth. You became a hero because you wanted to help people, not to avenge ghost parents. You such joy and optimism in the role, the likes of which I've only ever also seen from Clark and Kara, and not even the worst streets of Gotham could take that away from you. But if there was one thing you didn't like, it was how grim I was, and how grim Robin was becoming. We could always trust you to put a smile on our faces. It was that same trust that made you so easy to manipulate."

"Yeah, I thought so," responded Barbara.

"You have a marvelous brain, and I wanted to show you how use it to become a puppet master like myself. I regret this being a factor that drove you and Robin apart, but your mind was a great key to bringing down crime in Gotham, and possibly everywhere else. But then you had one bad day. Not only did you lose your mind, you lost your smile. While you may never walk again, I fear something worse, namely that may never hope again.

"I should have killed the clown that day, but your father insisted I bring him in by the book, so I did. But today, he broke you, Robin. So, I screwed the book. And now I'm here. I haven't told anyone else in the League, since they'd all just give me advice that I'd ignore. I don't regret what I did, but I don't want to compromise my beliefs, either. Only thing will bring my mind peace, and I'd might as well make it epic.

"So, Robin and Barbara, I hope that by the time you watch this, you've conquered your demons instead of embracing them. I'm sorry, Robin, for not being able to stop you from turning into me. I'm sorry, Barbara, for turning you into me. I'm sorry for being a failure."

With that, the hologram went back into the alien device. Robin curled his fingers around it as he held back tears while Barbara hugged him for comfort.

"But you weren't, Bruce. You were the best."

/

The wedding between Donna Troy and Roy Harper went perfectly. It was all the more perfect that Diana was able to attend and do all the traditions as mother of the bride. Raven and Beast Boy attended as well, making the most of the last moments with their friends.

Near the end of the reception, Diana and Donna took a moment to step outside.

"So, Donna, do you feel that you're ready for motherhood?"

"Yes, mother, definitely."

"Make sure you aren't taking this lightly."

"I'm not. We've already sorted things out with Roy. The adoption agency will have his daughter ready after our honeymoon.'

"And you're ready to take care of her?"

"Yes. There is no higher honor for an Amazon than motherhood."

"Then you won't mind having the baby you've been carrying?"

"I'm not only ready, I want to finally have him or her more than anything?"

"Very well." Diana placed her hand over her daughter's stomach and gave a light zap.

"The time stasis is over. Your child will now continue growing normally, and I hope you raise him or her to be anything but normal. Oh, and one more thing."

Diana took of her tiara and placed atop an invisible surface, revealing a set of her armor remade to fit her daughter.

"No more Wonder Girl; you're Wonder Woman. And you'll make a fine one too."

Donna and Diana hugged and kissed in happiness, then once again in sadness as they realized it would be there last meeting.

"Will I ever see you again, mother?"

"When it is necessary. But for now, I need to go see my own mother."

"Hippolyta?"

"No, Athena."

"Oh, right. Goodbye, mother! I love you!"

"I love you, too!"

They hugged one final time before Diana joined Raven and Beast Boy as they left for the realm being the mortal reality.


	8. Chapter 8

Raven and Beast Boy tightly held each other's hands, as they found themselves surrounded by an ocean of color swerving all around them. There were no sounds or smells, but they could feel one another, and they could speak through their minds.

"Garfield, are you absolutely sure you're ready?"

"Definitely, Rae! I've said all my goodbyes, and I'm ready to fulfill my responsibility to you. What about you? Are you ready to leave all your friends behind?"

"Yes. They've meant everything to me, but it's time I took my rightful place as a deity."

"Are you sure there's nothing you're forgetting to handle?"

"No, nothing!"

"What about your feelings for Robin?"

"Those feelings were juvenile, like yours for Terra were. We've both moved on."

"I'm glad to hear it, Rae. Now let's go!"

The two of them passed through the circling void and came into a room that could be described in human in terms as a vast office space. They were both sitting, and before them was a regal angelic figure dressed in yellow and white.

"Hello, Raven. You turned out so much better than I thought."

Raven smiled back. "Hello, Zauriel."

"Pardon me, but, where are we?" asked Beast Boy. "Hyperspace? Subspace? Heaven? All three?"

"Zauriel, this is my boyfriend, Garfield..."

"Yes, I know who he is. He's your disciple; the one who helped complete your evolution to supreme godhood. I guess it's true what they say – opposites attract."

"Hey, if two people are too much alike, things get real boring really quick!" commented BB with his hands behind his back.

"Granting him immortality and increasing his physical capabilities to be compatible with your own are expected, but why did you not do anything to his mind? The revelation of the nature of the multiverse would break the psyche of most mortals."

"Yes, but that requires a great deal of thinking, an amount of which Beast Boy couldn't do even if he wanted to."

"Yup! I always said thinking was overrated, and I'm finally right for once!"

"No, you've been right plenty times before. Just not on anything on multiverse scale. Speaking of which, are you going to explain our new roles?"

"Yes," answered Zauriel. "Let me demonstrate it."

Zauriel gave a massive 3D projection hologram display all around them as he gave his speech.

"We are currently inside The Source Wall, which holds together the very fabric of existence. It is from here that beings commonly known as 'spirits' appear, all with very degrees of powers with which to create, modify, and break the laws of whatever reality they chose to call home.

"The strongest beings are the greater gods, and have enough power to create a universe, an act which is done when two gods complete one another in the manner that the two of you did."

"So, love-making leads to world-making?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes, a whole universe of worlds. The gods are then given that universe to rule over, but their abilities at new creation can only be extended to one world. This carnal act of passion, which we call 'worship', loses its creative power with each time. First it creates a universe, then a master race, and then after that individuals with super-physical powers who can become gods. Oh, and the act of 'worship' can be done by two gods or by a god and a mortal, dubbed a 'disciple'."

"Like us?"

"Yes, like you, or like Athena and Hippolyta.

"After choosing a world, the gods create life on it, including an intelligent, humanoid race that they will have direct interaction with. For example, in your universe the main world was Earth, and the race was humanity, created by the Olympian gods."

"So, what about the Atlanteans?"

"They're the descendants of Poseidon and his human disciples. That guy was hornier than his brother."

"But, how can other life on other worlds exist?" asked Raven.

"Well, you see, all these universes interact with each other: anything created in one is created in the other. While the Olympians created humans, X'Hal created the Tamaraneans, Rao created the Kryptonians, and so on."

"Well, aren't we a little late to the party then?" asked Beast Boy.

"No, for we are outside the realm of time. Whatever race you create, that same race will exist in every other universe, but without your divine intervention. Also, the planet that your race will be on will be the only planet in your universe with any kind of magic, much like how Earth was in yours."

"Wait, what about the Lanterns?" asked Beast Boy. "They seemed pretty magical to me, and I'm certain they're not from Earth."

"Ah, yes, those are the works of the lesser gods. Let me explain.

"Lesser gods don't have much in the way of creation, but their reality-breaking powers are still significant. They can be the children of major gods, like many of the Olympians, including Wonder Woman's goddess-mother Athena. You also saw for yourself how a child of the gods can become a god, as Diana pushed her body to the point that her spiritual self completely took over. Now she's come to the same realm as her spiritual mother."

"Yeah, and of course, there's me."

"Yes, you. Your father, Trigon, was the only son of the god who created his universe, and grew to be more powerful than him. He conquered and devastated it, then sought more. He grew powerful enough to gaze into other universes and saw into yours, forcing his worship into a handful of humans, and ultimately his seed into your mother.

"I had been assigned to prevent breaks between universes like this, but Trigon proved far too powerful for me. When he wound up creating you within Arella, I took the both of you to Azarath, in hopes that Trigon would never find you, but … we both know how that turned out.

"As for the Lanterns and Rings, they are set up by lesser gods across all universes as a way of keeping good and evil balanced. Since the gods who create each universe cannot intervene everywhere all the time, task forces were made to keep emotions of sentient beings in check on universal scales."

"OK, got that settled, but now here's my next question – whatever happened to those ancient Greek gods? They made our universe and they made people, so why'd they leave their creation?"

"Well, however long gods spend with their creation depends. In the case of Olympians, they grew bored of blind admiration from humans, reducing them to mere puppets who were dependent on them for everything. So many of them left humanity on their own with exception of Ares and Athena, and once again, you know how that turned out. They still watch their universe, and Diana too now that's she's with them, but they only interfere when they believe it to be absolutely necessary, which is hardly ever.

"Unfortunately, that's also made your universe much more prone to invasion by outside gods. Trigon is an obvious example, as was The Spectre that you recently encountered. Then there's your pal 'Larry', who is such a huge fan of Robin that he molded his physical form to resemble him down to the molecular level."

"Yeah, that guy was tad bit of a nuisance," admitted Raven.

"Oh, trust me, he is nothing compared to..."

"Hello, Z-to-the-R-I-L! Who's the new chaps?"

Zauriel rolled his eyes and groaned at the newcomer in the room – a floating dwarf with a bowler hat.

"Hello, Mxyzptlk."

"Hey, you got my name right! First try!"

"It's really easy with the pronunciation on your shirt."

"Oh, would you look at that? So, who are the newbies?"

"Wait, aren't you that guy who pestered Superman?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes, but he couldn't really do that with him fighting a war, so..."

"So, I conjured up some reality-distorting devices and scattered them across Earth to see what would happen. There was the magic hat and staff picked up by one Mumbo, the supped-up remote that a certain Control Freak stumbled upon, and a pocket-dimension making trumpet bestowed to a young hero named Herald. The results were … rather boring, to be honest!"

"Yes, Mr. Mxyzptlk prefers to mess around with other gods' universes for 'fun'."

"Thousands of different universes, but nothing to watch! So, I made me my own universe! I call it 'The Go-Niverse'! It's just like your Titans' universe, but remade in my image!"

"So, you mean it's..."

"Exactly! Wild and wacky and loads of fun! No more boring things like heroics and friendship and sacrifice and love! My Go-Titans are all about selfishness, sadism, bullying, and proud of it! Oh, it warms my heart just waiting to see how they'll gleefully torment each other all day every day!"

"Wait," asked a stunned Beast Boy, "you made us and our friends into bullies?"

"Oh, not just bullies – Bonafide psychopaths! I especially love it when they delightfully murder one another! Then I get to start the whole universe over and start the next episode of carnage!"

"Kill?" asked Raven angrily.

"Yup! Why, just before I left, my Go-Raven let the other Go-Titans get cursed with old age so they could all be her playthings while they slowly, painfully died. And then she got them turned into zombies so that she could play with them even more! Oh, I can't wait to see what they'll do next!"

A black-red aura surrounded Raven as she extended her right arm towards Mxyzptlk. She rolled her hand upwards and snapped her fingers. Mxyzptlk was then holding a piece of chalk and a chalkboard, and them found himself forcibly writing his name backwards … twice. But he paid no attention to this, instead singing a happy nonsensical song about detergent before vanishing from all existence.

The angry aura around Raven vanished. She put her hands back at her side and sat back down.

"Nobody hurts my friends, especially me!"

There was a pause as Zauriel and Beast Boy stared at her in awe.

"So, what did ever happen to the Spectre?" asked Beast Boy.

"Oh, he made his own universe too, also with his versions of you and your friends," explained Zauriel. "But it's a dark, gritty universe where everything is gritty and badly lit."

"How so?"

"Well, for example, every time a bad guy reminds Robin that he's Batman's sidekick, he stabs that guy in the neck."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he doesn't like how that universe's Batman is a killer."

"OK, that makes absolutely no sense."

"Well, he also turned Starfire into a street hooker, and the two of you into boring, bland wastes of space with no fashion sense."

"OK, sounds like something nobody would waste time on."

"Indeed. Now, there's one more thing to discuss, and that's how important your relationship with your created race will be. I've already discussed the Olympians and their effects on humanity, but also consider the one you call Superman. He is the paragon for your universe, yet he got his morality on a humble country farm, not from his own race. In fact, Kryptonians in your universe tended to be rather tyrannical, especially when they encountered Earth. Even Superman's biological parents encouraged him to improve Earth with a white-man's-burden mentality.

"But in the universe Rao created, all Kryptonians were just as altruistic as your Superman. And in the universe where Apokolips was the center planet, the gods led their created race to be just as benevolent as Darkseid was evil. But in the universe created by X'Hal, the Tamaraneans succeeded in conquering all the Lantern Corps and plunged their universe into eternal civil war.

"So, whatever race you end up creating, cherish them and be wary of the path that you lead them down."

/

As the sun rose, Beast Boy was the first to wake up. He raised his head and looked down at his goddess. They were both butt-naked, their bodies still locked after spending their most passionate worship to date. Raven awoke a few seconds later and smiled up at her disciple. After sharing a good-morning kiss, they descended from their universe's central planet's highest mountain to greet their central race.

There was one bit of detail that Zauriel had left out – the gods always create their central race in their image. The same was true for the race created by Raven and Beast Boy:

Green skin, shapeshifting, intangibility, healing powers, levitation, telekinesis, telepathy...

"Dude!" exclaimed Beast Boy in realization. "We're on Mars, and our kids are the Martians!"


	9. Chapter 9

Outside the Gotham City Supreme Court.

An angry, pampered 11-year-old boy stormed out through the front door, screaming "Not fair!" repeatedly, knocking out a random person who walked past him and taking out his frustrations on a pillar. Following him was a gangly, elderly man not at all pleased with what he had had to deal with for the whole day.

/

"Are you kidding me? No, seriously, Wintergreen, are you kidding me?"

The tired, old butler sat across from Talia al-Guhl, new leader of the League of Assassins. Sitting at the same table in-between them as Lord Naga of Kobra, another terrorist organization that had now become all but irrelevant.

"Here is a copy of the will, so see for yourself. It states three years after the date of the death, all of his wealth and possessions shall go to his youngest offspring. Clearly, he saw through your father's plan and enlisted the help of that call girl Miss Kyle to protect his estate from you."

Talia slammed her first on the table in anger. "That conniving son of a bitch! All that talk about how wrong it is to kill, he tricks my father into suicide and that bastard still wins!"

"Well, knowing Mr. Wayne, he was probably counting on your father to fake his death."

"So was I, but he just had to be a man of his word!"

Talia then answered her phone call. "Yeah, what?"

"Lady Talia, your son is acting up again."

Talia then listened to the high-pitched of her young son thrashing his bedroom, bitching about how he had been deprived of what was rightfully his. She just rolled her eyes and answered, "Just get him another pizza or something".

Talia closed her phone and turned to Lord Naga. "So, you're dead certain that Kobra's funds are dry?"

"As dry as your Lazarus Pits," he answered. "Supergirl and her Amazon playmate were more of a problem for us than for you. You lost your precious immortality, but we lost everything but this shoddy old base. If you need money, you'd better start looking hard, because it's not like it's going to come calling to us and offering itself on a silver platter."

Then he got a phone call

/

Outskirts of Jump City

Talia and Naga waited behind a gas station as they were approached by four flying Tamaraneans. They opened up a massive cannister they had brought with them, unveiling its contents to be xenothium.

"How much of this can you get for us?" asked Talia.

"Enough so that Cyberwear won't notice."

"This stuff's super-radioactive," noted Naga. "We're going to need a few of your people to help us with this."

"Of course."

"So, what do you want for us in return?"

"Free Wildifre, and kill Nightstar."

"I'm sorry, what? You want us to free the maniac who started a war, and murder an infant?"

"Yes. Our Grand Ruler Starfire has gone against the will of X'Hal, choosing an accursed black-hair as her mate and producing an abomination with him. We refuse to accept that devil as our leader, and the true king Wildifre must take her place."

"Well, alright, but only once the princess is an adult. And once that's done, I'd highly advise you to take Wildifre and get as far away from Earth as possible. You won't survive another war, and you definitely won't survive the wrath of the Titans."

"Agreed".

/

Belle Reeve

The years of construction were finally over, and metahuman prisons from across America began shipping their excess prisoners. Lex Luthor and Wildfire managed to be exempt, as the former was well-behaved and the latter was too dangerous to release.

Jump City sent its own batch of prisoners there – Cheshire, Mammoth, See-More, Private HIVE, Billy Numerous, Kyd Wykkyd, Angel, and Wrestling Star. Gizmo was undergoing child rehabilitation, while INSTIGATOR and XL Terrestrial were still locked up.

Once all the new prisoners arrived, they were greeted by the warden, Lyle Bolton. He had previously been the warden of Arkham Asylum before being fired for abusing prisoners. But here, he gloated about how the higher-ups had no problem with his methods, before wishing all the new prisoners off to enjoy their lifelong stay.

Upon entering, prisoners were separated by gender. The males were taken to a room where the guards forced them to take off their clothes and then strapped them down naked onto stretcher carts. They were all then rolled into a giant room, darkened except for a spotlight in the middle.

Joining them were the other male prisoners of the jail, whose numbers were less than 30. Among them were Vandal Savage, the dreaded immortal ex-Nazi, along with King and Jack from the Royal Flush Gang. They were also completely naked, and also shivering and hyperventilating.

Once the guards had left, all the lights turned on, and they were surrounded by the prison's female prisoners, all completely naked with lustful grins.

The ones standing at the front included Cheshire, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Lady Shiva, along with Queen and Ten from the Royal Flush Gang. Standing in front of them was the true leader of the prison, Killer Frost.

"Hello, newbies! Let me explain how things really work around here. You see, when Mr. Savage got stuck as my cell mate, I made him my personal sex toy, and nobody ever objected since he tried to blow up a city, or something.

"So, when Mr. Bolton took over, that gave him a brilliant idea – turn the prison into a playground for the women, with the men as our toys! We have so much fun we don't want to leave, and you'll be so broken that you can't leave!"

All the new men silently gasped in shock at their fates. Mammoth and Kyd Wykkyd were especially horrified to see their own sisters, Shimmer and Angel, not only amongst the razed crowd, but smiling along with them.

"Oh, don't worry, your sisters won't be playing with you!" assured Frost. "We want mutant babies, not deformed ones!"

Once again, the men stared in shock.

"Oh, yeah, I should probably tell you. We all were using protection, but as of today we got taken over by new management, and we specific orders to provide them with a fresh, young metahuman army. And to make sure of it, our new pills are fertility drugs. So, congratulations in advance – each and every one of you is gonna be a daddy!"

/

"Naga, we have a problem. Talia is dead."

"What? How?"

"Damian killed her."

"He did what, Wintergreen?"

"They were practicing sword fighting, and she was being critical of his form. He lost his temper, kicked her over, stabbed her five times in the torso, and punched her in the head until her skull fractured."

Naga slumped down. "That damn kid! How are we gonna handle him now?"

"You just focus on business. I'll take care of Damian. Besides, it's time we awoke him anyway."

"Wait, you don't mean..."

"Yes. My old master."

/

16 Years Later

Nightwing was called to Jump City prison to look at the most baffling prison escape in history. He reviewed the security tapes, which showed the walls melting away like candle wax except in a manner of seconds. The intruder, a youthful looking woman, escaped with three prisoners – Gizmo, INSTIGATOR, and XL Terrestrial – but not before melting the way to the maximum-security storage room.

"What did she steal?" demanded Nightwing.

"The rest of Scarecrow's fear toxin," answered Commissioner Slack. "200 pounds of it."

Then Nightwing got a call from Kid Flash, or Impulse as he was now called.

"There's been an attack on the suburbs! Witnesses say it was by an 'evil Superman'!"

Nightwing hopped on his Nightmobile – a hovering motorcycle Michael Holt and Cyborg had designed for him – and made his way to the suburbs. Along the way, he watched home videos of the attack, which were carried by an individual who looked very much like a teenaged Superman and bore all of his powers. But the videos also showed a middle-aged blonde woman fighting back by levitating rocks at him. It had been almost twenty years since he had last seen that.

"Terra?!"

Nightwing joined Impulse at the scene. There was destruction all over the neighborhood, making the cull de sac look like a literal war zone. Impulse confirmed that the rock-throwing woman was indeed Terra, and she was being treated by paramedics for severe wounds that had been done by super-strength and laser vision.

In the midst of the destruction was a ruined house, and outside of it a man was comforting his young teenage daughter who looked very much Terra.

"It's going to be OK, Cassie. Mom's going to be OK."

Nightwing approached them to offer his condolences, but was immediately interrupted.

"He took the suit."

"I'm sorry, what?"

The man looked straight at him with sincere regret. It was the first time Robin had ever seen his face, but he immediately knew who he was.

"He took … the SUIT!"

Nightwing slowly stood up as he realized what was happening. Anyone crazy enough to make an evil Superman is enough trouble, but if that same person were to have a Red X suit...

He took another look at those home videos. The 'evil Superman' not only was young, but he bore a costume matching that of the Boy Scout. But there were two key differences - the lack of a cape, and the "S" symbol was one that belonged to his old archnemesis

Nightwing then got a call from his communicator. It was a number he hadn't seen in years. He hesitated for a bit, but finally opened it, and his eyes and ears filled with dread.

"Hello, Robin. It's been far too long, hasn't it? I've been making massive preparations for the continuation of our game. I trust that you've done the same. Well, you have, haven't you? Oh, that's very disappointing. Looks like there's only one thing that matters now..."

Slade's broadcast then interrupted every television, phone and computer screen in Jump City, Steel City, Star City, Central City, Atlantis … all over the world and even on New Tamaran. Everyone was greeted by the one-eyed face of terror, and he gave the same message to them all.

"I'm back!"


End file.
